Other Bill Finger-esque stories to be told

Since Batman & Bill premiered in 2017, people who learned of my efforts to get credit for Batman co-creator and original writer Bill Finger have contacted me with stories of other unsung creators, inventors, and pioneers (some of whom, like Bill, were cut off from their legacy). 

Some of these folks reached out to me just as an FYI. But most are asking for one of two things: advice on seeking a resolution for their cause or an author to write a book on the secret(s) they know.

The list of people/concepts I want to write about is already too long for me to finish in one lifetime, so while plenty of these proposed subjects seem worthy, I don’t plan to pursue any at the moment. 

Therefore, though I’m not a licensed matchmaker, I’m posting a list. If any journalist, lawyer, or fellow writer would like to look into any of these stories, email me and I’ll see about making an introduction. 

NOTES: 

• I’ve researched none of this so make no claims to the authenticity of any of this.
• I included the name of a creator/innovator in question only when that name is already publicly connected to the IP/incident in question.
• This is only a partial list of subjects I’ve been pitched. (I did not include ones that seem more like conspiracy theory than viable claim.)
• As more subjects come in, I will add to this list.

characters:

• G.I. Joe doll
• Kimba the White Lion (as unacknowledged inspiration for The Lion King)
• Spawn
• Super Mario Bros.
• Power Rangers/Gene Pelc
• The Walking Dead/Kingdom Hearts (allegedly from the same creator)
• Gladiator (2000 Academy Award for Best Picture)
• Finding Nemo (2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature)

creators/inventors/pioneers:

• George A. Wyman, first person to cross the U.S. by motor vehicle (motorbike, 1903)
• Lotte Reiniger, director of one of the earliest animated feature films (released in 1926, 11 years before Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
• a person whose photographs of writer Robert Graves and poet Laura Riding are being used without permission in a film
• Rear Admiral Husband Edward Kimmel, commander-in-chief of the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on 12/7/41
• J. Warren Bowman, pioneer of the baseball card industry 
• Leo F. Ferris, NBA co-founder and 24-second shot clock co-creator 
• Larry Shinoda, designer of the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray
• Gene L. Coon, Star Trek writer
• Otis Davis, first person to wear a Nike tennis shoe
• Big Wheel (debuted in 1969)
• solid-handled balisong knives (butterfly knives)
• Boston (the band)
• singer of many pop songs including “Girl You Know It’s True,” released by Milli Vanilli (a group that, as you probably know, hid its own secret)